Never Too Late
by suicidalmadmen
Summary: Naruto is isolated in school.All his friends are gone and everyone is distanced from him. He did this all on purpose.Why? He needed too. Only one other person knows why.Uchiha Sasuke.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is something quick I wrote while listening to "Never Too Late" By Three Days Grace. Really awesome song. And no it's not a songfic, the song just inspired me to write it. Hope you all like it. As always comment/review/flame, it doesn't matter. Just tell me if I should continue as I have the second chapter halfway done.

Disclaimer: None is mine. T^T

Naruto didn't like it. He didn't like any of it. He didn't like the way the way they touched him, spoke to him, and looked at him. Their eyes were filled with pity and relief. Pitying him because of what happened, relief that it didn't happen to them.

He turned his head, cradling it in his arms, his spiky blonde hair tickling his bare arms. Dull, blue eyes stared out into the pouring rain, sky gray and looming over head. He no longer tried to pay attention in class; Naruto figured there was no point, not anymore. His teacher's voice, a , he forgot her name, droned on, like a small buzzing bee next to his ear. That is until she called out his name.

"Mr. Uzumaki. Do you know the answer to number24?"Her high pitched voice caused his headache to worsen.

"No." Naruto answered. His eyes remained fixed on the window, even as 20 pairs of eyes turned to stare at him. He slowly blinked, his shuffling beneath him, slightly nudging his backpack. He wanted to get out of there, but he didn't want to go home either. She dismissed his answer, passing on to the student next to him.

Naruto hated her. Hated everyone as they turned back to their books with pity in their eyes. He didn't _have_ to turn and look to know it was there. He closed his eyes and tried to remember a time when he didn't hate everyone. It was so long ago he could no longer remember.

The bell finally rang, dismissing the entire school. Naruto raised his head, but waited until everyone walked out before he himself slowly trudged out of class. His eyes were cast down, backpack lazily thrown over his shoulder. He avoided eye contact; it only made him hate them even more. Naruto ignored all the whispers and pointed looks aimed at him, knowing full well what they were saying. His body became tense and coiled, ready to spring at whoever came nearest.

Naruto raised his head as he was met with dark, gray skies and the smell of wet fresh air. It was still pouring outside and he had no umbrella, so as he began his walk to his bus stop, his black frayed shirt and old faded gray jeans stuck to his body like a second skin. Naruto stared up at the gray sky, rain drops falling heavily on his face. His eyes were slightly closed, head tipping back in relief. It was Thursday, only one more day of class left of the week. He let a small smile play on his pink, chapped lips.

He jumped when he heard a screeching noise in front of him, a blue, gray bus stopping inches from his face. He waited patiently as the doors slowly opened and people got off, and then dumped some change in the small, metal box next to the driver. He slowly walked to the back of the bus, dripping water in the aisle. Naruto plopped himself in a seat next to the window just as the bus lurched forcibly forward.

He was thankful that only one other person, besides him, was on the bus, no strange stares aimed in his direction. At least until he figured out who the other person was Uchiha Sasuke. Heart throb of the school, most wanted and sought after guy by females _and_ males. And he was riding a _bus_. Naruto had heard rumors that said he was wealthy so why would he? Naruto shrugged. He didn't give a shit not about him or anyone else for that matter.

He just looked out the windows, fascinated by how fast the trees went by, wondering how it would feel if he jumped off the bus, right at that moment, at the speed it was going. He was becoming sleepy and almost missed his stop if it wasn't for the Uchiha pulling the stop cable. Naruto hopped off the bus, vaguely aware of the steps behind him.

He kept walking forward, eyes cast down, shoulders slumped. His teeth were chattering in the cold, his blonde hair sticking uncomfortably to his face. He kept walking, feet shuffling, arms crossed over his chest and hands stuck under his armpits to retain warmth. Naruto turned right at a dark gray building with black tainted windows, walking straight into the "lobby" they chose to call the shithole where the receptionist got his daily blowjob from the cleaning lady.

Naruto ignored him and walked towards the elevator, repeatedly pressing the up button, impatient to get home. The doors opened with a ding and Naruto entered the empty elevator with the crappy music, hitting the largest button with a careless finger. He leaned back against the metal wall, head resting against it, eyes slightly closed. Naruto's stomach tingled, like it always did, when he reached his floor. He stepped out onto the dirty used-to-be-red carpet and walked towards his apartment door.

He ignored the yelling from his next door neighbor's apartment, having to hear them daily, and slipped his old key into the keyhole, hearing the familiar click of the door unlocking

"I'm home" Naruto called out, and of course, no one answered. No one ever did, not anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for taking so long but I edited this and changed it completely to fit my plotline and this is the result. This is a short chapter but after listening to mucho Linkin Park inspiration hit me and this was created. I noticed the writing style changed but it could not be controlled so…enjoy! Read and Review please!

Disclaimer: Nada is mine…

The red digits on the bedside table read 2:03 a.m. His eyes were heavy with sleep but the nightmares that formed beneath his eyelids kept them open. Dark shadows on the plain white ceiling began to form themselves into agonized faces, faces frozen in the midst of horror, torture, and pain. He knew he should begin to sleep but the memories were too much for his tired body and soul.

Soon Naruto stood in front of his darkened window, staring out at the starless sky. His eyes searched for something, _anything, _that would help him. He wished he wasn't here, his chest lifting with every breath he took, his pulse beating endlessly underneath his skin. His heart ached to find a clue as to what to do. His body was still living, but it was hollow from the inside, slowly rotting and ceasing to exist.

The warmth from his breath fogged the tinted glass, and with a shaky hand, he began to clean it. His eyes widened as a dark figured emerged from underneath a street lamp and his pulse began to slowly accelerate as he recognized it. Sasuke Uchiha was here…

He suspected Sasuke would keep going, past this building and onto the next, but his stomach gave a lurch as Sasuke entered the gray mass he considered a home. He did not understand the feeling in the pit of his stomach, and did not **want** to understand it.

Still, curiosity got the best of him, and he wanted to know why, of all places, was Sasuke Uchiha **here. ** Naruto's dull eyes, for a moment, contained a sign of life. His unclothed feet caused his body to shiver as he walked across the cold wood floor toward his door. He didn't' understand what he was doing, only followed his body's impulse. Slow, graceful steps echoed in the empty corridor. Naruto was only able to hear them by the aid of the building's silence. A small click, squeak, and thump was heard as a door was opened and shut.

Naruto knew for certain that the tenant next door to him was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. He felt a small smile begin to curl his lips upward and fought against it. Many thoughts raced inside his mind but he ignored them all. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping but now his mind had something to preoccupy itself with.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sooooo as you can see this is a longer chapter then the last one! Hope you guys are satisfied and what not because I am! :] Yay! More building plotline! Read and Review…

Chapter 3

The walls were bare, bleached white, and faded yellow in some areas. His footsteps echoed around him, making the hallway seem endless. No posters of encouragement were hanged, no Honor's or Principal's List. The whole schooled vibrated with Winter Break. He could feel the anticipation surround him, frustrating him.

Naruto was early today, hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. He pulled his orange hoodie closer to himself. The empty school was freezing with no one inside. He made his way to his first class of the day, Study Hall. He wasn't surprised to see Sasuke there, this early in the morning, but from a dark blue raised eyebrow aimed his way, he could tell the other was, if not surprised, amazed at how unusually early he was. He would've been to, if he was in Sasuke's place, seeing as how most days he never bothered to show up.

He shoved his hands in his pocket, nodded in greeting, and sat at the back of the classroom, next to the classroom's one-way mirrors. He couldn't help a smirk appear on his face as he remembered the night before, the reason why the bags underneath his eyes had gotten a shade darker. He knew that, even if Sasuke acted all high and mighty, something was wrong. Wrong enough for him to end up in his apartment building.

Naruto wasn't interested, or stupid, enough to question Sasuke why exactly he was there, but he knew that sooner or later he would find out. Rumors spread here like wildfire. He would know. For the meantime he pretended to look out the window, while he watched Sasuke from his peripheral vision.

His dark blue bangs framed his pale skin, his black eyes focused on the paper in front of him. His dark blue eyebrows were scrunched up in concentration, making his face look angry, Sasuke was leaning over his desk, his back hunched in work. But as Naruto looked closer, he could see the smaller details, like the way Sasuke's eyes were dilated and red with lack of sleep, or how the veins underneath his eyes were dark green, or how sickly pale Sasuke was looking recently. Naruto wondered why. Was it because he moved in to his apartment building? He couldn't move his blue eyes away from Sasuke, and his stomach felt queasy.

Suddenly the bell rang, followed by two squeals. That snapped Naruto out of whatever trance he was in. The squeals were followed by a girl with bright green eyes and dyed bubble-gum pink hair and a taller blonde with ice-cold blue eyes. They were Ino and Sakura, the bestest of friends. Behind them was the Gang. There was Lee, with his bowl-cut, raven-black hair and Gaara the antisocial creep with blood-red hair and teal eyes. Then there was Shikamaru, the laziest of them all, followed by Choji, with his bag of chips. Hinata and Neji, cousins with the exact same lavender eyes, except her hair was short and dark blue and Neji's was long and black, followed.

They all began crowding around Ssauke after Sakura and Ino sat behind him, giggling and blushing. Sasuke's body tensed, noticing how he had become surrounded. Naruto wanted to laugh at his expression but at the same time wanted to get up and yell. He had been part of that group and now he was behind them, watching them laugh and talk. He silently got up and left the room, slipping out the backdoor. None of them would notice, but silently he wished they did.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Here's another chapter! Woooo! Anyways this story is slowly expanding in my head and I kinda have an idea of where I'm going with it... ^^' Anyways hope you all like! By the way, next couple of chapters are gonna be _loooong_ so look forward to that 'cus that's where I'm answering all your questions. Read and Review Please!

His body was warm, almost on fire. His chest felt as heavy as lead and colder than dry ice. His throat was red and raw from his coughing fits and no amount of nose blowing would eliminate the amount of mucus stuffing his nose and esophagus. His head was spinning uncontrollably and his stomach was in pain. He was unsure if it was from his cold or from his hunger.

His vision was beginning to blur and tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He turned his head on his pillow and stared longingly at the full glass of water on his bedside table. He reached an arm out and slowly began to grasp the glass, careful not to drop it. His hand shook as the cool glass reached his chapped lips. He released a sigh of pleasure as the cool, tasteless water ran down his burning throat, refreshing it if only for a moment.

His head was pounding, causing the room around him to look alive, with a beating heart. It made him feel like he was being swallowed whole, disappearing forever in between bleached white walls and dust filled rooms. He smiled sadly, thinking that would have been better than staying here, stuck in this world. His eyes were glassy and distant, not really looking at anything, but past it. The fever had gotten worse, he could tell by the amount of sweat forming on his skin and the soaked sheets surrounding his body.

He cringed when he heard the door bell ring, the sharp sound making the pounding in his head worse. He slowly rose from his bed, trying hard not throw up whatever little he still had in his stomach. He leaned back on his elbows once he was sitting up, letting the spinning room stop and the mix of colors separate. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and shakily stood up, leaning back on the bed for support. He really didn't want to get up but if the bell kept ringing it would split his head in two.

He slowly moved across his apartment, having to constantly use his hollow walls for support. His breathing had become deep and fast, lungs rattling in his chest with every breath he took. He could feel a coughing fit begin to form in his throat but quickly began to push down. He really didn't want to see his lungs hanging from his mouth anytime soon. He winced again as the bell rang a second time, causing him to almost pass out with pain. His eyes began to lazily blink as he neared the door, eyes still glassed over with tears. He sighed with relief as he reached the dark gray door, the cold seeping into his skin from the doorknob felt like a good contrast to the heat his body was in.

He opened his door, forgetting to check the peephole, and quickly blinked in surprise. Sasuke Uchiha was standing in front of him, no expression in his face. Now he knew he was really sick, if his mind actually played tricks like this. The tears in his eyes began to form thicker now, making his vision too blurry for him to see but a few inches in front of his face. He heard the Uchiha clear his throat and he remembered he hadn't said anything.

"Oh, umm, what is it?" He knew it wasn't a proper greeting but that's all his confused brain could come up with. He saw Sasuke raise an eyebrow as he felt himself slowly tip forward, his forehead almost touching his shoulder. The area around him began to spin, again, but faster. He reached up to grasp his head, the pounding making it hard to concentrate on Sasuke.

"We need to talk." Sasuke's deep voice penetrated his befuddled mind, sending shivers down his spine. He looked up at Sasuke, focusing on his lips. He unconsciously licked his lips, feeling the dried bumps of his. It took him a moment before he was able to come up with an answer.

"What about?" He asked, voice shaking. His body began to sway from side to side and he felt as if he was going to pass out. He began to get weaker and weaker, and his knees began to tremble and shake. The last thought that flashed through his mind before darkness engulfed him was _'This is all your fault, Sasuke…'_


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Well I guess I made you guys wait long enough! Here's Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 is on the way! :] Anyways please read and review and if you see any mistakes/errors please point them out! Thanks!

**Warning: **This contains Sai/Naruto so if you do not like it please skip it! :D

The clouds hung low to the ground. They were dark and heavy, seeming to almost crush the Earth with rain. The wind was cold and restless, blowing this way and that. It carried with it the smell of the city, dirty and humid.

Naruto leaned against the school's roof's railing, looking out to the city surrounding him. He breathed deeply in and slowly let the icy air leave his lungs, staring out into empty streets and empty houses. He felt completely alone, surrounded by nothing. He heard thunder crash amongst the clouds, and looked up. He didn't have to wait long to see the flash of lightning almost hit the surface of the Earth.

Naruto smiled, feeling a rush of excitement at being so close to the sky with lightning around him. He stood up straight and stretched out his arms, feeling the wind envelope him, chilling him to the bone. At least with this his anger seemed to melt right off. His smile began to disappear at the thought of his anger, which brought forth thoughts of Sasuke. Stupid Sasuke who had to ruin everything. He slowly let his arms drop to his sides, his gaze flickered forward, blue eyes darkening with anger.

Naruto was pissed off at himself. He really shouldn't give a fuck about Sasuke, he never did before. But something changed. Not only with himself, but with Sasuke too. He looked more alone than usual, even when surrounded with friends, like he wasn't really _there._ The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

He hated that. Why wouldn't Sasuke leave him the fuck alone? He had to go to school with him, he had some classes with him, and now he fucking lived next to the bastard! What was he going to do? He gripped his blonde hair in frustration, craning back his head to look up at the gray sky. He jumped in surprise as a drop of rain landed on his eye. It was on the rim of his eyelash and when he blinked the vision in his left eye became blurry. Soon he felt bigger rain drops land on his face and slide down his neck. He didn't want to move but knew he should. He walked down the steps leading him down to the first floor of his crummy school. He walked up to the main entrance door and was about to walk out when he noticed Sasuke standing underneath a tree. He was obviously waiting for someone, since the dismissal bell had rung a while ago. Once again rage filled Naruto causing the grip on the door's handle to tighten, causing his knuckles to turn white. He looked behind him and almost sighed in relief. Sai was walking in the opposite direction as him, probably towards the back exit. He turned and ran to catch up to him, not wanting to be anywhere near the Uchiha.

Sai did not turn to look at him as he walked beside him. They didn't need to talk. They both knew where they were going. Naruto silently walked beside Sai, neither of them wanting to recognize how fucked up they truly were. They had known each other for many years but only recently had begun to talk. Well what was between them wasn't considered talking, only an arrangement of sorts. Sai had gone up to him and offered him a deal. Naruto got to escape the pain and Sai got to pretend. He knew it wasn't right, but he couldn't help himself. It was one of the only things that kept him sane, if only a little.

Naruto was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as they reached Sai's house. They went inside but didn't stop to sit down and chat. They walked to the back of the house where Sai's room was at. They knew the house was deserted as Sai's parents were always at work so they weren't worried about being caught. As soon as Sai had closed the door, Naruto was shoved onto Sai's bed. Sai then attached himself to Naruto's neck, licking and sucking his way down. Naruto moaned turning his head to the side. Sai got rid of their pants and t-shirts, shoving his hand in Naruto's boxers, slowly stroking him. Naruto threw his head back, hands gripping the sheets. Both of them were slicked with sweat, their body temperature rising. Sai slid his body up, looking directly into Naruto's blue eyes. As Naruto gazed into Sai's eyes he was reminded of someone else but soon forgot who's as Sai grinded his hips into his. Both of them were throbbing, aching to get some release. Their bodies moved unconsciously, sliding faster and harder until their eyesight turned white and their bodies turned to jelly.

They both lay on top of each other, gasping for air as their lungs tried to fill with air but couldn't. Their hearts were beating a mile a minute and it seemed that their bodies would not cool down. Naruto slowly sat up as Sai turned over to lie on his back. He bowed his head as he stared off into space trying to forget what had happened. He didn't want to do it anymore but he just couldn't stop. He stood up and searched for his clothes. They were bunched up in a corner near Sai's bed. He slipped his shirt on and walked to the bathroom down the hall to clean himself up. When he returned Sai was sitting on his bed smoking.

"You know where to get it." Sai quietly spoke but didn't turn to look at him. Naruto nodded and looked for Sai's safe. He got two crystal bottles and a syringe out of it and put it in his backpack. He didn't remember dropping it earlier. He slipped his pants and shoes on and looked for his jacket. When he found it, he walked to the door, backpack in one hand, and let himself out. They had done this enough times for it to be normal.

He walked home in the pouring rain, not minding how cold it had become. He shivered as water made its way down his back and into his pants. He didn't give a shit about anything as long as he got those bottles. They helped him forget, made his mind disappear from his body. He knew it was rooting him from the inside out but he couldn't function without them anymore. He reached his building but didn't go inside. He stood outside, shivering and cold, staring up into Sasuke's apartment. Tears flowed down his cheeks but the rain washed them away. His teeth were gritted in anger, rage bubbling inside him. Sasuke had everything he wanted, friends, money, _everything._ Why couldn't he just disappear?


End file.
